theimanfandomcom-20200214-history
Quicksilver gland
Invisibility concept The series' concept of invisibility is explained through the existence of "Quicksilver", a silver-colored synthetic hormone presumably created by Kevin Fawkes and his team of scientists and put inside an artificial gland through Project Quicksilver under the codename of Project QS-9000. When secreted, the substance is initially liquid, but slowly solidifies over the surface of objects "like Saran wrap" (as explained by Kevin), at which point it "bends" light that would normally reflect in the covered surface before refocusing it behind the object. As a result, the object becomes gradually invisible to the naked eye in a matter of seconds. After the gland's implantation on Darien's brain, its secretion can be jumpstarted by the acceleration of his heart rate and the excretion of adrenaline, triggered by the sensation of fear or tension, although he eventually learns how to control its flow and to consciously secrete it through intense body training. As Quicksilver does not reflect light, it does not absorb it either; this drops the covered surface's temperature "below freezing;" however, it serves to insulate Darien against the extreme cold or heat. It is also stated that Darien can suffer from "premature visibility" if he gets distracted or loses focus on remaining invisible. When in control of the process, Darien has demonstrated the ability to turn only parts of his body invisible, such as quicksilvering his eyes so that he can see in the infrared spectrum, turning his head invisible to lure his enemies into close range or concealing his arms or legs so that he could pass as a handicapped person for investigative purposes. In addition, Darien acquires other invisibility properties such as "quicksilvering" other objects and even persons (like he does to Hobbes in "Cat & Mouse"). His ability to "see" objects or persons rendered invisible (as shown in "Money For Nothing, Part 2", when he can see Arnaud covered with Quicksilver) is explaned by the fact that Quicksilver can absorb other types of radiation, such as infrared and ultraviolet, despite not reflecting pure light itself (which explains why quicksilvered persons can be detected on thermal imaging sensors or lenses). When Darien was nearly blinded by a dangerous prototype weapon, he was not only able to prevent himself being permanently blinded by instinctively using the quicksilver to protect himself, but was able to use the quicksilver to 'see' while his regular eyesight recovered. Quicksilver Madness The main drawback of the Quicksilver gland is the periodic "Quicksilver Madness": a flaw engineered by scientist Arnaud DeFöhn causes the gland to leak Quicksilver into the brain of the host, leading to a breakdown of higher cortical function, initially leading to a lack of inhibition. The eyes become bloodshot and short bursts of pain result, but the host maintains most control over his behaviour. However, as the situation progresses, the pain becomes more severe until the host enters the "Madness", at which point it seems to cease, but the host begins to exhibit violent behaviour as his "darker impulses" are released. The whites of the eyes become completely red at this stage. In the two-part episode "Money for Nothing", Darien has his counteragent confiscated by The Official as a way to force him into handing over Arnaud's stolen money from the casino. This results in Darien entering a higher stage of Madness called "Stage 5" (implying that the Quicksilver Madness had at least four phases so far). In this stage, the whites regain their normal color, but the irises become silver due to leak of Quicksilver through the host's lacrimal ducts. This stage leads to a complete loss of inhibitions, as well as psychotic behaviour, constant euphoria and megalomania, although the host seems to regain ability to plan and focus, which is lost at the lower stages. This stage is significantly more difficult to reverse, requiring specialized counteragent. It is stated that if Stage 5 Quicksilver Madness is not reversed within approximately 12 hours, its effects will probably become irreversible. To prevent Darien from going into Quicksilver Madness, his Quicksilver levels are "monitored" by a tattoo of a snake devouring its own tail divided into segments, placed in his arm by The Keeper. When Darien has a fresh supply of counteragent, the snake is completely green, but it becomes progressively red as the Quicksilver saturates Darien's body (spreading faster when Darien turns invisible), allowing the Agency to keep track of his Quicksilver levels. Over time, Darien's body became increasingly resistant to the counteragent, but Claire was eventually able to discover a formula that Arnaud had developed which permanently cured Darien of the Madness by the end of the series. Category:The I-Man 2000